While it is now generally accepted that music is important for the development of babies and young children, many parents are confused by the array of musical toys, instruments and recordings that are available in the market place. Musical instruments shall be discussed here.

The percussion family
There are a number of musical instruments generally from the percussion family that are suitable for little ones. Percussion instruments are defined as those instruments that are shaken, scraped or struck with a beater or mallet. There are two kinds of percussion instruments: tuned and un-tuned. Tuned percussion instruments are correctly pitched enabling the playing of melodies. The piano is a tuned percussion instrument as are electronic keyboards and instruments with bars such as xylophones and glockenspiels and individual tone or resonator bars. By far the majority of percussion instruments are un-tuned and some examples include maracas or shakers, triangles, jingle bells and tambourines and drums.

What is best for baby?
It is important that babies are provided with musical toys and instruments that are age appropriate. Adult musical instruments can often be unsuitable. Size really does matter. For example a large pair of Latin wooden maracas would not be suitable for a young baby as they are too heavy and cannot be easily manipulated. Strong sounds may also startle babies. There are however many types of mini maracas or baby maracas that are lightweight with a delicate sound, have easy grasp handles and are safe and washable. They provide visual stimulation as well with lots of bright, colourful beads that are safely enclosed. This is an important consideration as all children under one year will put everything in the mouth. Halilit produce some beautiful mini maracas for babies as well as lovely rainbow rain shakers in small sizes. They also have a mini sea drum with beads and a lovely sea pattern.

Care needs to be taken when selecting bells. All bells have jingles and small parts that can be a choking hazard. Bells should only be used under supervision with little ones. There is however a completely safe bell for babies produced by Kindermusik where the jingles are enclosed in cloth. These bells are attached to Velcro and can be wrapped around wrists and ankles.

Appealing to young children
Babies and young children learn through all the senses. Musical toys and musical instruments should be appealing in many ways. They should not only sound great but should be visually attractive with good design and bright colours. They should also feel good to play and encourage active playing. They are not just for looking at. Good quality musical instruments can withstand vigorous use. Many toy drums for example can be five minute wonders but a sturdy drum with a natural skin head or quality synthetic head can give years of enjoyment. Remo produce some beautiful children’s drums from the delicious looking lollipop to jungle patterned toms, djembes, and bongos.

Quality and price
Good quality can often mean paying considerably more. This is the case not only with drums but certainly with xylophones and glockenspiels. Sonor produce a glockenspiel with precision tuning and an incredibly beautiful sound that is built to last for years. In comparison many cheap barred instruments have a tinny, dull, highly inaccurate pitch. But quality can also come at bargain basement prices if you know what to look for and where to look. Many examples can be found with wooden toys and wooden musical instruments such as castanets, tone blocks, spinning crackers and recorders.

Christine Gora

The most relevant stage in learning starts from being a toddler. What baby learns during this stage will reflect throughout his growth. Toddler educational toys are the most effective tool that will cultivate their knowledge. Educational toys are entertaining. It’s the reflection of fun and laughter. Provide your child a lot of learning opportunities through wide variety of toys: Toys for bath time, toddler cubes, books, puzzles, roller coaster toys, shape sorter, soft toys stackers, wooden toys, DVDs and CDs. Widen a child’s imagination with books – they are windows to the world. Supply chunky board books, ABCs, animal books, music & shapes, word books, flap books, bath book and coloring books.

As parents, it’s totally challenging and yet greatly rewarding to raise kids. Having enough time to play with your child is a great opportunity for you to learn more about your own kid. We have to understand that every child is unique; each one has specific way of cruising through the milestones of physical, mental and social development. Parents do there best to raise kids to be smart and happy to be who they are. Even in early years of a child, we can start to shape their life. While other parents use television, play station and 3D games as a tool to keep their child entertained. This can lead to disabilities in learning. Children can gain hearing problems that leads to difficulty in language development from watching television.

Toys must be carefully selected. Find the most appropriate toys that stimulate learning abilities and fun to play with. Through toddler educational toys children discover themselves, their environment and their social life. Their toys become instruments in building their creativity, leadership skills and personality as well. Playing educational toys is the best foundation for a successful future.

Play can enhance a child’s growth in all areas. Different toys give specific development and experiences for your baby.

Toddlers are like sponges. They absorb concepts through playing. Our role as parents is to choose appropriate toys for their age. Toys must be well-designed & durable. It should expand a child’s ability, such as in arts & crafts, reading, verbal skills, music and movement. Keep in mind that what we can offer our child in not just enjoyment, but also what kind of benefit toys will deliver. Encourage them to take their first steps in learning into a fun and enjoyable way.

In addition, to maximize playing for your child’s development, there are several points we have to remember.

o Set a proper and favorable area in playing. It must be safe, hygienic and non-smoking zone.
o Look for proper clothes that promote comfort and freedom of movement.
o Give them educational toys where in they can reap the benefits for their growth

Parents must be patient with their child as they found gladness in even small accomplishments. Share excitement as your child discovers the world through shapes, colors, sounds and textures. Make fun in learning a priority. Embrace the importance of toddler educational toys in providing a step-by-step success. Remember, the future of your child lies in your hands.

Babies and Baby toys seem inseparable in the mind’s eye. One can never think of a Baby in isolation. The thought of one leads to the other. Toys are an intrinsic part of a Baby’s development and though babies respond to everything that surrounds them in a natural way, a lot of research by child psychologists and Child Development Specialists has led to the introduction of distinct Baby Development Toys which contribute to the gradual acclimatization of a baby to its natural surroundings. These toys enable a healthy developmental environment for the little tots who are just opening their eyes to a new world in a new habitat in the midst of new sounds and textures, new sights and feels.

The fact is that the baby begins to learn soon after it is born. No doubt the new born is traumatized by the very fact that it is removed from the very comfortable, snug, and cozy environs of the mother’s womb. Being out of it is for the baby, almost like being thrown to the wolves. But the child learns to recognize the comfort of touch, of the hands that care for him, of the loving sounds that soothe him.

When the baby is about three to four months old, making it lie on the back on an activity gym with toys hanging overhead, and watching what follows is a treat for sore eyes. Gradually, the movements of the baby will change from being random to being controlled as the tot will soon establish a connection between its movements and the result it is able to evince from its movements. Thus, the baby would have succeeded in developing a connection between action and response with the help of a toy which becomes the ground for learning more.

Even when lying in the special bath tub, the baby is subconsciously reacting to the interplay between the water and its body, the floating bath toys and the ripple effect of its movements.

Once the baby is six months old it is well able to enjoy and learn from activity center which has various toys of different textures making different sounds, each different from the other. While one has a handle to be pulled the other has a button to be pressed while a third just has to be pushed to the side. The baby is all the time learning merely by observation. It is learning and clocking the result of each action and before we know it, it is gurgling in anticipation of the results of its actions.

It is thus that Developmental Toys are introduced after very close and in depth studies of Baby behavior in consultation with child psychologists and health officers and there is a constant effort to break fresh ground in order to enhance and nurture the development of babies.